Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Leadership Skills And Strategies, And Their Effect On Processing Change In Light Of The Grand Prairie Seventh-Day Adventist Church Building Project, Danail G. Tchakarov

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem.

The Grand Prairie Seventh-day Adventist Church is one of the oldest Seventh-day Adventist congregations in the state of Texas, and as such has given birth to numerous other congregations. Over time, however, the makeup of the surrounding community slowly changed and no longer reflected that of the church. Because of language, cultural, and socioeconomic differences, the church was slowly becoming irrelevant and incapable to minister to its immediate community. The building was 57 years old and in dire need of repairs. Adding to the challenge was the fact that the 1.88-acre property was completely surrounded by other properties; space …

Increasing Effectiveness And Efficiency Through A Collaborative Evangelism Strategy Within The Georgia-Cumberland Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Victor Maddox

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

There were a number of organizations, ministries, and individuals throughout the Georgia-Cumberland Conference (GCC) territory engaged in various forms of evangelism which include health education, literature distribution, media presentations, community service, Bible instruction, etc. All had some level of success. Personal observations of these efforts revealed a redundancy in programing, uncoordinated planning, insufficient record-keeping, inadequate follow-up on interests generated, and failure to build upon the results of previous evangelistic meetings within the GCC.

Method

The goal was to improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the evangelism process in the GCC through the coordination of evangelistic meetings between organizations, …

Strategy To Implement And Evaluate A Health And Wellness Program In The Inner-City Of Benton Harbor, Michigan Through The Harbor Of Hope Church, Imasiku Mubita

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The data from the Berrien County Health Department (2011b) shows that the city of Benton Harbor has unusually high prevalence of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. In addition, the city is a food desert and residents lack good healthcare coverage which helps to exacerbate these lifestyle diseases among its inner-city residents. Also, the dearth of healthy food intake plus the lack of exercise further hampers the community's health.

Method

A nine-week health-wellness program was opened to the community through the Harbor of Hope church in Benton Harbor. During this program community members had their biometrics screened at the beginning and …

A Collaborative Leadership Strategy To Develop A Missional Focus At The Anderson Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Murray L. Miller

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The problem addressed in this project was the lack of missional focus at the Anderson Seventh-day Adventist Church. Four symptoms were correlated to this problem. First, from 2010 to 2013 the Anderson Seventh-day Adventist Church witnessed a slight decline in tithe and a drop in mission offerings. Second, conference archive data from 2003 to 2013 showed that the membership had remained steady while attendance had gradually been in decline. Third, though no formal surveys were available at the initiation of this project, anecdotal evidence from the conference to the local level showed varying opinions concerning the focus of the …

Developing A Vision And Strategy For Multicultural Ministry: Woodburn Community Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Eduard Daniel Ciobanu

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The City of Woodburn, OR is home to a population of 24,223. Over half of the residents are Hispanic, while 1/4 to 1/3 are Russian Orthodox Old Believers. Adding to its diversity, 35.4% of the total population of Woodburn is foreign born. Started as a church plant 30 years ago, the mostly White, non-Hispanic Woodburn Community Seventh-day Adventist Church has traditionally kept a membership of around a 100, with a current membership of 101 and an average attendance of 38 in 2011. Despite an ideal, central location in town, an ability to embrace and support new members and attendees, …

A Comprehensive Strategy For The Calgary Metropolitan Area Churches, Christopher L. Holland

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

In my 16 years of ministry, in every location I have pastored, the church has struggled to connect with the surrounding community. In Calgary, there are 14 Seventh-day Adventist churches and companies. These churches have, on occasion, worked in unity for evangelism. However, according to several of the local pastors, that has not happened for over 10 years. If the churches in Calgary are to fulfill the Great Commission, an effective way of engaging the community is needed. Because the communities that surround churches are growing increasingly secular, comprehensive evangelistic strategies may be an effective way of reaching them. …

Developing A Strategy For Mobilizing Ministry On Behalf Of The Community Of Lilongwe, Malawi, Gladson Thumbalamoto

Professional Dissertations DMin

Statement of the Problem

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world with over half of the population living below the poverty line (Fekete et al., 2007). The country has had a Seventh-day Adventist presence for the last 100 years. Although the Adventist Disaster and Relief Agency (ADRA) is addressing hunger in Malawi, there is a need for church congregations to do something at a local level to combat poverty, HIV/AIDS, disease, and hunger which are all rampant (Pembrey, 2010b). Lilongwe is the headquarters of many aid agencies but the worst symptoms of poverty exist within the city …

A Strategy For Church Planting In Northern Nigeria Beginning In Zangon-Kataf, Francis F. Daria

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The first Adventist missionaries came to Northern Nigeria in 1930. Their intent to establish medical and evangelistic work in Southern Kaduna was restricted by three opposing factions. These were Sudan Interior Mission (SIM), Islam and African Traditional Religion (ATR). They frustrated the indigenous people from understanding the concept of the missionaries. Eighty years later there is still no Adventist presence in this area, which is part of the 10/40 Window that encompasses all of Northern Nigeria. During these 80 years no Adventist Church has been established in this region. There is, therefore, a need to develop a church planting …

A Strategy For Effective Youth Ministry In The Bantama Seventh-Day Adventist Church Ghana, Kofi Opoku Acheampong

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Young people comprise two-thirds of the 1,500 members of the Bantama I Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ghana. Despite a continuing increase in the number of young people, only a few of them attend youth activities. It appears that there may be a lack of formal programming or clear directions for youth ministry in the church. The result is a lack of spiritual connections between the youth and the church. In addition, there are behavioral problems among the young people when they are left to their own activities; consequently, parents are not allowing their children to attend youth-initiated activities, resulting …

Strategies Of Team Formation In A Multi-Staffed Church, Larry C. Becker

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

This project sought factors that bring about the formation of pastoral teams.

Method

Methods included the study of current literature, testing a hypothesis, administering a self-developed survey with pastoral teams in the Southeastern California Conference of Seventh day Adventists, and work with the Redlands Seventh-day Adventist Church pastoral team. Data was gathered from 30 churches, totaling 77 pastors and results were tabulated with SPSS software.

Results

Analysis of the teams in the main cohort and Redlands revealed both support for the hypothesis and factors of team formation. These pastoral teams formed in a culture, in relationship, with trust, mutual …

A Strategy To Reach Animistic People In Madagascar, Jacques Ratsimbason

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The majority of the Malagasy people who live in Madagascar are unreached with the gospel message. A preliminary investigation of current literature indicated that 50 percent of the Malagasy are followers of traditional religions. This present study was to develop a strategy to reach the animistic people with the gospel message.

Method

This study presents Malagasy people, their social characteristics, population, worldviews, and lifestyles. A study;and evaluation of Malagasy beliefs and practices were developed using Hiebert's model of critical contextualization.

Results

The study reveals that the Seventh-day Adventist Church must update its evangelistic methods to reach animistic people and …

A Biblically Based Strategy For Disciple-Making In The Seventh-Day Adventist Churches Of Malawi, Wenson Lyson Masoka

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The current rapid growth of the church in Malawi lacks an on-going strategy to foster the membership increase and its spirituality. The failure to systematically train the laity as disciple makers has resulted in their under utilization. By default, the church has become clergy-dependent and the majority of the members warm the pews as mere spectators. Meanwhile, their conversions seem to be equated with disciple-making. There is need for a paradigm shift which will produce active lay persons who can adequately rise to the challenge of the Gospel Commission, making disciples of all nations. Although this research has a …

Revitalizing Youth Ministry: A Spiritual Strategy To Minister Effectively To The Millennial Generation, Gustavo Squarzon

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The number of young people dropping out of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has increased 50 percent in the last ten years. Fifty-seven percent of those who left indicated the primary reason was not doctrines or theological issues, but the lack of relevance of the church to their lifestyle, spiritual needs, and everyday challenges. The purpose of this dissertation was to identify the spiritual, emotional, and relational needs of a specific generation, such as the millennial; and to develop a biblical spiritual lifestyle strategy to help today’s churches to reach and effectively minister to the members of that generation.

Method …

Developing A Strategy For Growth In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Finland Using The Natural Church Development Approach Based On A Case Study In The Turku Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Aimo Helminen

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The growth of the Adventist Church in Finland stagnated in the mid 1980s and after that the membership of the church began to slowly decrease. There is a need to look at the past growth patterns of the church in Finland to discover the reasons for the present decline in membership and develop and implement a strategy for church growth.

Method

Current literature was reviewed, including books and articles on the principles and strategies of church growth. These were studied in the context of the Turku Church in order to determine if the principles in the Natural Church Development …

Diseño De Una Estrategia Para El Evangelismo En Delmas, Puerto Princípe, Haití, Robert Jean-Marie Charles

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

At present more than half of the world's population lives in cities. These cities present the greatest challenge to world evangelization. The evangelization of Delmas is a great' responsibility for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The purpose of this dissertation was to design a strategy for urban evangelism in Delmas.

Methodology

The topic of urban evangelism was researched in the Bible, the writings of Ellen G. White, and other contemporary- authors. A survey of pastors and lay people in Port-au-Prince was done, together with in-depth interviews with key church pastors.

Results

Jesus greatly emphasized urban evangelism. Early …

Estrategia Para Plantar Una Iglesia En Puebla, México, Moises Reyna Sanchez

Professional Dissertations DMin

Church planting is one of the basic tasks to which God has called his disciples. The gospel commission of Matt 28:19, 20 implicitly calls for church planting. This dissertation presents biblical and theological foundations for church planting. In addition, it explores the writings of current authors, looking for appropriate church planting strategies. Success in church planting is achieved by applying certain strategies. These include having a clear vision of what God expects, completing a demographic study of the chosen location, pinpointing the place where the new congregation will begin, form the founding group and training them, having the first meetings, …

A Health Evangelism Strategy For Reaching Rural Indians With Giffard Memorial Hospital As A Model, Measapogu Wilson

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Like many nations, India offers notable opportunities for church growth in spite of its diverse cultural and language barriers. The challenge is to understand the growing populations. Masses of Indians are suffering from disease, poverty, and ignorance. They desperately need to achieve health and learn how to maintain it. About 80 percent of the Indian population lives below the poverty line and many are ignorant of healthful living. Health evangelism work can break down prejudice as nothing else can. At the same time, India is resistant to the gospel. A recent census shows that there are only 2.43 percent …

A Strategy For Ministry To The Homeless In North London, Carl Thorpe

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Despite the benefits that the English Social Security provides, many individuals fall out of the safety net into abject poverty. Every night hundreds of individuals sleep rough. Exposed to the elements, these people are in need of food and a permanent place. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North London is not providing an adequate ministry to meet the physical and spiritual needs of these people. This dissertation sets out to develop a strategy for ministry to the physical and spiritual needs of those who "sleep rough" in North London.

Method This study looks at various aspects relating to homelessness, …

Development Of A Strategy To Reach The Folk-Buddha Lepcha Community Of Sikkim, Tudu Joseph

Professional Dissertations DMin

The majority of the Lepchas who live in the land of Sikkim are unreached with the gospel message. A preliminary investigation of current literature indicated that 70 to 80 percent of the Sikkimese are followers of folk-Buddhism.

The purpose of this dissertation is to develop a strategy to reach the Folk-Buddhist Lepcha community of Sikkim with the gospel message.

The dissertation traces the historical development of the Lepcha community in Sikkim,,its culture, economy, health situations, and education. Chapter 3 details the beliefs, practices, and world view of the Lepchas, discusses government restrictions against Christianity in Sikkim, and describes the growth …

A Strategy For Guiding Pastors And Congregations Through A Church-Building Project In Bermuda Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Carlyle C. Simmons

Professional Dissertations DMin

Many times pastors in their ministry face the task of leading their congregations through a church-building project. Often with little to no formal preparation for such a task, pastors and congregations experience challenges and pressures not anticipated. Sometimes the magnitude and extent of these challenges and pressures produce an adverse effect on the morale and spiritual conditions of the pastor and congregation. Since the emphasis in the Adventist Church in Bermuda is on evangelism and mission, one can expect that there will be an ongoing need for church buildings. The development of this strategy for guiding the pastor and congregation …

A Strategy For Church Planting Among The Ewe-Speaking People Of The Volta Region, Ghana, Emmanuel Osei

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Since the Seventh-day Adventist Church came to Ghana over one hundred years ago, there has not been any concrete and coordinated plan to establish SDA churches among the Ewe-speaking people of the Volta Region, Ghana. Unconsciously or otherwise, the Volta Region has been left unentered by the church, particularly the area from Ho southward to the sea. This study was undertaken to develop a strategy for reaching the Ewe-speaking people group (of the Volta Region Ghana) through church-planting ministry by which converts won would be gathered to form congregations of the Seventh- day Adventist Church.

Method

In an attempt …

An Analysis Of Growth In The Euro-Asia Division (1985-1995) Leading To A Strategy For Developing Home Churches, Galina I. Stele

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Euro-Asia Division is experiencing many challenges due to rapid growth in membership during the decade of 1985-1995. This study shows some of the main needs of the Division and suggests a strategy for developing home churches in order to meet the present challenges.

Method

A church-growth analysis of the Euro-Asia Division was conducted for the years 1985-1995 to discover problems and challenges. The advantages that a home-church approach would bring in solving many of the challenges is discussed. Guiding principles for organizing house churches and training home-church leaders are suggested.

Results

The church-growth analysis showed that the main …

Marketing Strategies For Seventh-Day Adventist Literature In Brazil, Mario Paulo Martinelli

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

There is a great need for the publishing work in Brazil to use different methods. Although several changes have occurred with the advance of technology and urbanization, the methods employed to distribute SDA literature have remained practically the same as those used in earlier times. Literature evangelists are facing greater difficulties in personally talking with people. The traditional door-to-door sales method is reaching fewer and fewer people and new approaches are required to support colporteurs in their work. In addition, sales of literature to church members in Brazil are low and give evidence to the fact that strategies are …

Strategy To Develop Small-Scale Income-Generating Programs Among Seventh-Day Adventist Lay Members In Ghana, David Sarfo Ameyaw

Professional Dissertations DMin

The call for self-reliance and self-support in the operation and mission of the SDA Church worldwide presents a great challenge to the churches in developing countries. Many of the members in developing countries such as Ghana are unemployed and fall within the low-income bracket. In order for such membership to contribute to support the church, there must be a program to improve members' standard of living and their contributions and commitment to the church. Making the church in Ghana self-reliant and self- supporting is not a matter of how to motivate members to sacrifice and give, but how to empower …

A Strategy For Seventh-Day Adventist Public Evangelism Within A Roman Catholic Society Context In Hispanic America, Salim Japas

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The so-called "New School of Integral Evangelism" which has been operating in many countries of Hispanic America for the last few years has been demonstrated as quite successful in its evangelistic approach to Roman Catholic Hispanic Americans. To discover the nature of this approach has been the problem under investigation in this project.

Method This research is a description of the nature, strategies, and techniques that this particular method uses. This was done mainly by analyzing the San Pedro Sula, Honduras, campaign, which was the first Andrews University School of Evangelism conducted by the author in the summer of …